WAIWHAI
Rāhana Tito-Taylor (aka WAIWHAI) is a multi-dimensional musician from Tangiteroria, Te Tai Tokerau, whose practice spans taonga puoro, psychedelic noise, avant-garde beats and beyond.
Founder of Noa Records, a pan-Moana label dedicated to platforming Māori, Tagata Moana and indigenous alternative artists, Rāhana’s work is rooted in whakapapa and bold sonic exploration.
A recipient of the Arts Foundation Springboard Award (2021), he went on to compose the score for Nova Paul’s Hawaiki, which premiered at Sundance 2023. In 2024 he released Slowdown World, a genre-bending collaboration featuring leading Aotearoa musicians.
Performing as WAIWHAI and with groups including LEAO, Pan Moana Group and Trioglodyte, Rāhana also works within the Rangatuone conduction method alongside taonga puoro and string ensembles. Through composition, improvisation and performance, he forges new ways of connecting people and place, continually transforming sound traditions into something strikingly contemporary.
